Wartburg · 1988–1991

Wartburg 1.3

The Wartburg 1.3 is a medium-sized family car which was produced by Automobilwerk Eisenach between October 1988 and April 1991. The car was an updated version of the Wartburg 353, with a 1.3-litre, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine as also used in the second generation Volkswagen Polo, instead of the original 1-litre, two-stroke, three-cylinder unit found in the 353.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Wartburg 353

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History

In 1984 a deal was reached in which IFA would assemble Volkswagen's 1.3-liter EA111 engine under license, in the Barkas plant in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz). The engine was too long to be mounted longitudinally in the Wartburg 353, and too long to fit between the front wheels in a transverse installation. One prototype with the longitudinal engine was built, nicknamed Nasenbär (Coati) because of its long nose. Wartburg chose the transverse option, and thus the Wartburg 1.3 only entered production in October 1988 as a new transmission also had to be developed, as well as an entirely new front end (everything ahead of the A-pillar was new). The track was widened by 10 cm (3.9 in) in front and by 6 cm (2.4 in) in the rear, necessitating small fender extensions. The new drivetrain also meant that the gear shifter migrated to the floor, instead of on the column where it was usually found on Wartburgs. The considerable changes meant that the development costs far outreached the projected expense of manufacturing the four-stroke 1600 cc engine developed by Wartburg's own engineers in the early seventies. The appearance was also altered by the installation of a new front clip, with large wraparound turn signals and a smoothed-off appearance. Being rather expensive (nearly twice the price of the 353 W), the 1.3 sold slowly from the outset. The two-stroke 353 W continued to be built until 1989, when imported cars became available. Being a four-stroke was not enough of a novelty to convince buyers, especially in Western export markets. After the German reunification in October 1990, the Wartburg 1.3 was no longer competitive, and production slowed down until it was discontinued on 10 April 1991. A pickup version (not available within the Eastern Bloc) called the Wartburg 1.3 Trans

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